LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson 's family and about 200 of their closest friends gathered on a hill Thursday evening for their final farewell to the pop singer , who died 10 weeks ago .

Thursday 's service for singer Michael Jackson began 90 minutes past the announced start time .

Jackson 's burial may lay to rest some of the mystery and controversy that erupted with his sudden death on June 25 .

His large family was divided over where the superstar 's final resting place should be , but matriarch Katherine Jackson settled on a crypt inside the well-guarded and ornate Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale , California .

Thursday 's service began 90 minutes past the announced start time , leaving dozens of celebrities -- including Elizabeth Taylor -- waiting in their seats for the 26 cars carrying the Jackson clan to arrive . Gallery : Invitation for Jackson 's service ''

It began with Jackson 's five brothers -- each wearing a single sequined glove -- carrying his flower-covered bronze casket onto the outdoor stage among six large bouquets of white lilies and white roses , along with green topiaries .

His three children , led by daughter , Paris , 11 , placed a crown atop their father 's coffin , which a family spokesman said it was `` to signify the final resting place of the King of Pop . ''

Jackson 's children , parents and siblings took their seats in the front row , while his nieces and nephews filled several rows of white chairs behind them .

After an opening prayer by Pastor Lucius Smith , soul music legend Gladys Knight sang the gospel hymn `` His Eye Is on the Sparrow . ''

Clifton Davis sang `` Never Can Say Goodbye , '' a hit he wrote for The Jackson 5 -- the group that featured a young Michael and his brothers .

What was said by Jackson 's father , Joe Jackson , and others who took the lectern is not publicly known , because the family barred news cameras from the ceremony . A family statement issued afterward said close friends and family , including the Rev. Al Sharpton , spoke `` spontaneously to celebrate Michael 's life . ''

News helicopters hovering above captured video from a distance , but without sound . Watch media cover Jackson funeral ''

Lisa Marie Presley , one of Jackson 's former wives and the daughter of Elvis , attended the service , according to the family statement . It did not mention Debbie Rowe , Jackson 's second wife and the mother of his two oldest children .

Macaulay Culkin , the `` Home Alone '' actor who spent time with Jackson during his Neverland Ranch days , was there with his girlfriend , actress Mila Kunis .

Actors Corey Feldman and Chris Tucker were also seen arriving for the service .

Motown founder Berry Gordy , who gave Jackson and his brothers their first big record deal , and Quincy Jones , who produced Jackson 's `` Thriller '' album , were there . Music producer Teddy Riley , who helped with Jackson 's 1991 `` Dangerous '' album , attended .

The guest list included TV executive Suzanne de Passe , who produced a miniseries about Jackson 's family , and Kenny Ortega , who was producing Jackson 's comeback show .

Thomas Mesereau , the lawyer who successfully defended Jackson in a child molestation trial , sat just behind the Jackson family .

When the hour-long service ended , his brothers lifted Jackson 's casket for a final time to carry him inside the Great Mausoleum , where he was placed in his crypt at 9:43 p.m. PT -LRB- 12:43 a.m. ET Friday -RRB- .

The family statement said it was `` his final resting place . ''

The family and friends then drove to an Italian restaurant eight miles away , in Pasadena , California , for `` a time of celebration . ''

The massive mausoleum , the final resting place for Clark Gable , Carole Lombard and dozens of other celebrities , is normally open to tourists , though the public is denied close access to crypts . Security guards , aided by cameras , keep constant vigil over the graves and crypts , which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture .

The Forest Lawn Web site boasts that the mausoleum , which draws its architectural inspiration from the Campo Santo in Italy , `` has been called the ` New World 's Westminster Abbey ' by Time Magazine . ''

Visitors will see `` exact replicas of Michelangelo 's greatest works such as David , Moses , and La Pieta '' and `` Leonardo da Vinci 's immortal Last Supper re-created in brilliant stained glass ; two of the world 's largest paintings , '' the Web site says .

Jackson 's burial was delayed by division among family members , though Katherine Jackson would make the final decision , brother Jermaine Jackson recently told CNN .

He preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former Neverland Ranch home , north of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County , California .

That idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area -- and by Jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges , of which he was ultimately acquitted .

The mystery of where Jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death .

After his body was loaded onto a helicopter at UCLA 's Ronald Reagan Medical Center hours after his June 25 death , it stayed in the custody of the Los Angeles County coroner for an autopsy .

It was only later disclosed that Jackson 's corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown Los Angeles for a public memorial service in the Staples Center arena .

Again , speculation about Jackson 's whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena . It was only recently confirmed that it was taken back to the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn while awaiting his family 's decision .

Though Thursday 's interment may settle one Jackson mystery , a more serious one remains . The coroner announced last week that he had ruled Jackson 's death a homicide . A summary of the coroner 's report said the anesthetic propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer 's death .

Los Angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged .

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Jackson 's three kids , led by daughter , Paris , placed a crown atop their father 's coffin

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Clifton Davis sang `` Never Can Say Goodbye , '' a hit he wrote for The Jackson 5

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Guests included Elizabeth Taylor , Lisa Marie Presley and Macaulay Culkin